The events of Mad Friday make one thing clear, adventurers can’t be trusted with the safety of an entire city. That’s why our kingdom needs YOU!

Join our illustrious armed forces in our fight against the monsters of this world! Now offering a 100 gold signing bonus if you commit to being a [Soldier]* for 4 years!

What if traveling to exotic locations and fighting for glory isn’t for you? Not to worry! Join the watch! Protect our glorious cities from the [Demon Lord] threat, and also keep those ruffian adventurers in line! Now offering a 50 gold signing bonus for those of you who have what it takes to be a [Watch Officer]*!

Conscientious objector? Can’t stand the thought of violence? Not to worry! Join our joint program with the church and become a [Cleric]* on loan to either branch! Healers are always in demand, and your service will be appreciated!

Long live [King] and kingdom!

*Classes require an oath and sealing of all other classes but 1. No liability will be accepted by any of the associated branches for loss of levels or skills

* Propaganda pamphlet released after the events of “Mad Friday” (the first recorded attack of a [Demon Lord] with casualties)

-----

Sam was exhausted. Physically, mentally… and possibly spiritually.

However, that didn’t change the fact that her work wasn’t done yet. Titus had left a trail of destruction from the edge of town all the way to the obelisk, and based on the shouts that she heard in that direction, not everyone had made it out in time.

So, she spent the next hour or so helping out with disaster relief. A 70-year-old 5 foot 2 woman is generally not the person that anyone expects to haul them out of the rubble, but being a world of levels, not too many people gave her too strange of a look when she moved beams that would take a team of non-adventurers to budge.

The work was good to get her mind off things, and she lost herself in it for a while.

Eventually, she caught back up with Garrett and Rich.

They didn’t say a word to each other, and Sam just followed the instructions that Rich was shouting out to everyone.

An hour after sunrise, they were finally finished. Or, finished except for one final thing.

They didn’t even need to say a word, and all three trekked off into the woods to Jake’s body.

When they finally reached it. Sam stopped Rich and let Garrett go ahead.

“Give them a few minutes alone,” she whispered.

Rich only nodded in reply.

Meanwhile, Garrett plodded forward before collapsing to the ground next to his longtime friend.

After a few minutes of standing by while her beloved cried, Sam broke her own advice and went to him. She wrapped him in a hug and cried with him.

They stayed like that for some time before Garrett finally took a deep breath.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Sam gave him one last squeeze before letting go.

They stood up together, and Garrett had a puzzled look on his face.

“Something the matter?” Sam asked.

“His sword,” Garrett muttered. “Do you see it anywhere?”

Sam looked around. “No, I don’t.” She turned to the third member of the group, who had been watching awkwardly this entire time, and shouted. “Hey, Rich! You see Jake’s sword anywhere?”

“No, I don’t,” he replied. “But, uhh… I’ll go check.”

The first assumption was that Jake just dropped it during his [Sunder]. That was quickly ruled out.

The second was that maybe Titus had picked it up and carried it somewhere while he was in his other form, but they followed the trail he made and didn’t see it anywhere.

That left only one conclusion.

“The Hero’s Sword,” Garrett finally said. “It’s gone!”

----- Approximately 20 years before the return of the [Demon Lord], at an orphanage in Vir ----

Jeremiah woke to a pounding on the door of the orphanage.

What could they want at this late an hour? He blearily blinked his eyes and was half tempted to just ignore it. However, his wife, Isabelle, had also stirred and sat up.

“I’ll get it,” he said while keeping his sigh internal. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before putting on his robes and finally making his way to the door.

He looked through the peephole and then grunted.

Of course. Just another prank.

He turned and would have made the mistake of his life if he hadn’t heard a small cough come from the other side of the door.

With only a brief pause, he opened it and crouched down.

“Oh my. What do we have here?”Jeremiah asked no one in particular as he found himself looking at a tiny baby in a basket.

However, the babe coughed again, and it soon turned into a fit.

He quickly scooped the baby up, along with the blanket, and made soothing rocking motions. “Ah, have a cold, do we? Not to worry. [Priest] Jeremiah is here for you.”

He quickly checked his MP and saw it was above half. That should be plenty for a minor cold.

“[Restore],” he cast as he placed his hand on her head. He frowned as he poured some mana into the spell… then more… then more… and then he was out.

Some of the color came back to the baby’s cheeks, but only for a second. The babe quickly started hacking and coughing again.

“Oh my,” Jeremiah muttered. If that much mana wasn’t enough to cure it, it certainly wasn’t a lesser or minor illness. However, standing around with the door open to the cold certainly wasn’t helping anything, so he swiftly shut it.

“Dearest, do we have any medicine left?” he called to his wife as he re-entered the bedroom.

“No, I believe we ran out. Why do you-“ she trailed off as she saw him lightly patting the coughing infant on the back. “Heavens!” she exclaimed and bolted up to take the child from him. “Why didn’t you use [Restore]?”

“I did, but I only had around half my mana, and it seems that isn’t enough,” Jeremiah replied.

“[Check Condition],” his wife said as she put her hand on the baby’s forehead. “Hmm. I didn’t get very many details, but it must be a greater condition.” As she rocked the baby, its coughing fit began subsiding, and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, where did this little one come from?” Isabelle turned back to Jeremiah and asked. “She doesn’t look strong enough to be pounding at our door.”

Jeremiah shook his head. “No, she was left on the doorstep in a basket.”

“Any ideas who she is? Perhaps they left a note?”

Jeremiah almost spoke and then realized that he had just left the basket sitting on the porch. “I will go check.”

He walked back and opened the door for the second time that night. He stooped down and picked up the basket but didn’t see a note or any identifying marks.

“Jeremiah! Come quick!” his wife shrieked.

Jeremiah dashed back in, basket and open door both forgotten in his haste.

“What is it?” he called.

“Bleeding condition!” Isabelle held up a cloth that had red on it. “[Heal] her!”

“I can’t! I used up my mana earlier!” Jeremiah looked at the infant, who was now whining piteously in between coughs.

He quickly fumbled through his inventory.

Come on. Come on! Emergency health potion… There!

“Here!” he handed it to his wife.

Isabelle gave a single dosage to the babe, who began wailing again. However, Jeremiah knew that wasn’t going to be enough.

Need to remove the condition, or she’ll keep losing HP!

He fumbled his way to his emergency mana potion this time and drained it.

“[Restore]!” he cast, putting all of his MP behind it.

The infant coughed a few more times, and Isabelle held up a cloth to cover it. However, they came back clean. No more bleeding.

“Oh, thank System,” Jeremiah breathed a sigh of relief. His wife echoed it with her own.

“So, from the looks of it, we have a new little one to take care of,” Isabelle said. “You’re going to need a name then, aren’t you?” she addressed the babe as she bounced it.

The baby only cooed in reply.

“Well, let’s see if you’re a boy or a girl,” she said as she slowly unwrapped the blanket.

There was a surprise waiting for them.

As soon as the blanket came off the top of the baby’s head, two little wolf ears popped up.

“A little beastborn child!” Isabelle exclaimed. “What are you doing all the way in this neck of the woods?”

The baby coughed a bit, and Isabelle and Jeremiah tensed. However, it subsided after one or two.

“Maybe the mother was worried that her baby wouldn’t get good enough treatment at a beastborn orphanage?” Jeremiah asked. “The church does our best to be impartial, but…”

He left the next part unsaid. With the [Arch Bishop] being a dwarf, speciesism was completely untolerated in the church. However, that wasn’t ironclad. Jeremiah knew that somehow beastborn orphanages and churches seemed to be constantly understaffed. Whether that was because those districts had more problems to deal with or because [Priests] hesitated to enter the slums, he didn’t know.

“Well, don’t you worry,” his wife said. “We’ll take good care of you little…” she paused as she peeked under the diaper. “Sarah.”

“A girl then?” Jeremiah asked. “And you came up with a name just like that?”

His wife sighed as she wrapped the baby girl back up in her blanket. “That’s the name I would have used if we could have had our own little girl. Since no one can heal me, though, I might as well give it to this little one.” She bounced the girl once or twice more. “Isn’t that right? Isn’t Sarah a good name?”

Sarah’s reply was another coughing fit that put both Isabelle and Jeremiah back into a panic.

And that was how a little beastborn girl wound up in the care of two humans at a human orphanage. She was a sickly little babe, and she would come to ruin their sleep for years as they had to watch out for her fits.

However, they wouldn’t have traded raising her for the entire world.

---- Approximately 13 years before the return of the [Demon Lord] –--

“But Papa Jeremiah! I wanna play with the other kids!” Sarah whined.

Jeremiah looked like he was about to say no, but then Sarah let her extra pair of ears droop down.

He looked like he couldn’t decide, but Sarah already knew she had him.

“Pleeeeeease?” she begged.

Jeremiah looked at Isabelle, who shook her head no.

He put a hand on Sarah’s head and ruffled her silver hair briefly for a moment before replying. “Little Sarah, I want nothing more than for you to be able to run around with the other kids, but with your health, it is simply too dangerous.”

“Nuhuh!” Sarah replied. “I’m up to 2 HP after my last birthday! That’s double, so that’s plenty safe!”

Tommy said he had 6 HP when he was 6, but she was pretty sure Tommy was a big fat liar. So, she shouldn’t be that far behind now!

Jeremiah looked back over at his wife, and she finally sighed. “Do you have enough MP to [Heal] her in case she gets hurt and [Restore] her if she has another fit?” Isabelle asked.

“I’m at full,” Jeremiah replied. “So, yes. I should be able to.”

Both Jeremiah and Sarah sent her pleading looks, and she eventually caved in with a sigh. “Very well, then. But stay safe, and if you lose even 1 HP, come back over here immediately!”

“Yay!” Sarah shouted. Then she took off at a run.

Her thin legs didn’t carry her that fast, and she didn’t have too much SP, but she would finally get to play the hit-the-ball game!

She ran over to the line where it looked like they were picking teams.

“Who let the trash mob join?”

Sarah glared at the boy who towered over her.

“I’m not a trash mob!” she practically growled.

“You’re part wolf, and everyone knows they’re the weakest!” Tommy taunted back. A couple of the other boys also said mean things.

She knew that she didn’t quite fit in at the orphanage, but she never felt that quite as much as she did then. Sarah was close to tears, and her chest felt tight. She could feel another fit coming on.

Then another voice snapped her out of it. “Her!”

She looked up at the boy she didn’t recognize who was pointing in her direction. “Huh?” she asked as she tried not to sniffle.

“I picked you for my team! Get over here!”

Sarah jogged over to the team on the opposite side in confusion.

When she got over to the boy who’d called her name, he quietly asked her. “Have you ever played baseball before?”

“Uhh… No.” Sarah looked at her feet.

The boy just grinned. “Don’t worry! I’ll teach you how!”

The boy, who Sarah learned was named Fred, gave her a rapid-fire explanation of how to play the game… that was apparently not called hit-the-ball-with-the-stick.

He also tested out her ability to throw the ball.

… She couldn’t throw it more than 10 feet.

He tried to hide his wince after each attempt, but Sarah still caught it despite his best efforts.

“That’s okay,” he said. “There’s still a position that should work.”

So, that’s how she found herself behind “home base.”

Why is it called home, though? She thought as both teams got ready. The other bases all made sense. You had first base, which was the first one you ran to. Then second base. Then third. Why was fourth base called home?

Was it because you were done after you got to that one? Because you got to go home?

She didn’t have too long to worry about that. The first pitch came.

She caught the ball as the “batter” missed. She threw it back to Fred, who was pitching, with all her might.

It made it about a third of the way and then rolled to about half.

Fred just jogged forward and grabbed it before running back to his spot.

They repeated that a few more times until the first baseman (which was another very appropriate name) jogged up to Fred and whispered to him.

Sarah tried her best to not listen in. However, she hadn’t found a way to stop herself from hearing things with her extra ears aside from plugging them, and the mitt she had on her hand wouldn’t let her do that.

“Why’d you pick her! She’s just slowing the game down!” he complained.

“They were all picking on her, and I didn’t want her to be last!” Fred whispered in reply. “And she’s doing fine. It’s her first time playing!”

Sarah started coughing and didn’t hear the rest of their talk. Fortunately, there was no bleeding condition, so she was able to go right back to playing.

None of the “batters” managed a single hit on the ball, and then it was her team’s turn.

Surprisingly, Sarah was up first.

It took only three pitches and 3 weak swings before Tommy struck her out.

The other team laughed at her as she walked dejectedly to the back of the line where her team was waiting. Fred met her.

“Don’t worry! Tommy strikes a lot of people out,” he said.

“Thanks,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure if he was just helping her out of pity or not, but she wasn’t going to be mean to one of the only people who was being nice to her.

They stood in silence for a moment before Sarah realized she had a question.

“Why are you and Tommy in the back of the line, and why was I up first?” she asked. “Shouldn’t the better players be closer to the start?”

“Well… uhh…” Fred looked really awkward at that question, but that just made her all the more curious. She just kept giving him a questioning look until he finally sighed. “Mr. Gibson said that if we play, we have to make sure the kids who are smaller or not as good get to go first.”

After the third one in a row got struck out, Sarah wasn’t sure that rule was a very good idea.

Papa Jeremiah should probably also not let Tommy and Fred pitch. We may get to go first, but they just throw too fast.

The next few “innings” (which she didn’t understand where in Placeholder that word came from) went just like the first. There wasn’t a single hit in all that time.

However, that changed as they got into the middle of the line for each team. People started to get hits, and that made the innings go on longer. As a few people got onto bases, she was a bit worried that she would have to try to tag people out.

Fred helped out with that. He covered “home” anytime that they were in a position to score, and handled tagging people out for her.

Until Tommy got up to bat.

“You ready for your team to lose, you stupid mutt?” he asked.

“Fred’s gonna strike you out, Tommy!” Sarah yelled in reply.

“Fred’s gonna strike you out,” he mocked her.

Fred threw the next pitch extra hard. Sarah was actually worried she would lose an HP, even through the mitt.

Fortunately, she didn’t, and Tommy missed the swing.

“That’s one strike!” Sarah taunted.

“And it will be the only one,” he grunted.

The next pitch went a bit wide, and Sarah barely caught it. Everyone agreed that was a “ball” (which was another weird term. Wasn’t it always a “ball?”).

The third pitch was on target and felt like it would burn a hole in her glove, and Tommy scowled as he missed another swing.

“Just one more, and you’re out!” Sarah said.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Shut it, trash mob!” he said. “I’ll show you!”

Sarah was sure that just like in the stories, the bully would get what was coming to him.

He did not.

He slammed the third pitch deep into the field on the left.

“I told ya, you stupid mutt,” Tommy took the time to stop and taunt her before running for the bases.

He made it all the way to third base before Sarah’s team could get the ball back to Fred.

He kept taunting her while standing on third base, but Sarah tried to ignore him.

They were back to the top of the lineup, and the next two batters struck out. Even though Sarah could now tell that Fred was holding back quite a bit.

Unfortunately, his kindness meant that the next batter got a hit.

It went a little way down towards the first base, and the first baseman charged forward to get it.

Fred ran to cover for him.

“He’s running home!” the third baseman shouted.

The first baseman stopped right as he was about to throw to first base and instead threw the ball back to Sarah.

“Tag him out!” he shouted.

She nodded and got ready to tag out the charging 9-year-old. She was a bit confused why he wasn’t stopping.

“It doesn’t count if she drops the ball!” Tommy shouted as he lowered his head.

“Sarah!” Fred shouted. “Get out of the way!”

Sarah didn’t. She could do it!

“Sarah!” Fred shouted again.

Sarah tagged Tommy as he barrelled into her.

She somehow kept her grip on the ball, but she lost half her HP… and immediately started into a coughing fit.

“Sarah!” she heard papa Jeremiah, but he sounded even farther away than he should be. She also thought she heard Fred run over and throw a punch at Tommy.

That wasn’t her main focus. Sarah was dying.

She had coughed up blood again, which meant the bleeding condition was back, and her HP bar was completely empty.

“Papa Jeremiah. Help.” She weakly said.

She was barely coherent as he came to help her with a [Heal] and a [Restore].

Tommy got in a lot of trouble after that, and Fred got in a bit too for starting a fight.

However, Sarah was also told that she couldn’t play baseball anymore.

She didn’t need to be told twice. She was… scared.

Even when she got up to 3 HP, and Jeremiah was willing to let her give it another try, she didn’t. She kept remembering the pain and the coughing.

So, she spent even more of her time reading. She especially loved stories about great adventurers, though she knew that she could never be one herself.

Throughout all of that, she did wonder why Fred kept coming over, though. He didn’t even play baseball with the other kids anymore! He mostly just kept pestering her while she was trying to read, and sometimes she wished he would stop.

---- Approximately 10 years before the return of the [Demon Lord] –--

“Now remember everyone, be on your best behavior! We have an important visitor coming to see us!” Jeremiah said.

Sarah briefly put down her book. “Does that mean I need to hide my ears again?”

Jeremiah gave a secretive smile. “Actually, I don’t believe this particular guest will mind.”

Sarah furrowed her brows and was about to ask who it was, but her question was put on hold by a knock at the door.

The door squeaked open. “Hello? Is anyone there?” came a voice.

“Now, just like we rehearsed, everyone,” Papa Jeremiah said. “Ready… Go!”

“Welcome to the Smith Orphanage!” everyone chorused as the stranger came into the room.

The older-looking gentleman looked puzzled for a second before sighing. “Really? You named it after me?” he asked.

“But of course!” Jeremiah answered. “Why wouldn’t we name it after our biggest patron?”

Wait… Smith? Sarah’s eyes widened. “[Hero] Jake?” she asked incredulously.

The [Hero’s] scowl vanished as he turned to look at her. “Yup. That’s me!” He gave her a smile. “And what’s your name?”

“I’m… Sarah,” she managed to squeak out.

She was freaking out. There was a legend in front of her! The slayer of the [Demon Lord]! The one who has been at the forefront of the war against monsters in the east!

She wanted to talk with him! To hear the stories directly from the source! She needed to…

Jake was quickly swarmed by the other orphans, who started clambering over him and telling him their names.

She frowned.

I guess that will have to wait.

The excited younger kids prevailed, and eventually, everyone found themselves dragged outside to play some baseball with the [Hero].

“Baseball? It’s been a couple decades, so you’ll have to go easy on me, okay?” Jake said.

Decades? Isn’t baseball new? Sarah frowned. Wait… I also remember reading that Jake came from another world… Is that where baseball actually came from?

She had so many questions that she wanted to ask him, but she doubted she would get the opportunity.

The [Hero] spent a bit more than an hour just playing with the kids. He also wowed them by giving them all a baseball and having them toss them at him simultaneously.

“[Omni Strike]!” he called out. A single lazy swing of his bat sent dozens of baseballs flying off in all directions. The kids shrieked in a mixture of delight and terror as they chased after them.

One errant ball also cleared the field and did enough damage to destroy their neighbor’s window.

The [Hero] sheepishly went over to pay them for the damage and then returned and sat down next to Sarah.

“Not joining the other kids?” he asked.

“I’m… not a big fan of baseball,” Sarah replied.

Jake just shrugged. “That’s fair. It isn’t for everyone.” He paused for a moment before asking, “So, I could tell that you had some questions for me back in the orphanage, but you were too polite to ask when the other kids were mobbing me.”

Sarah froze. “How did you notice?”

Jake shrugged again. “Silver hair. Wolf ears. You stand out quite a bit.” He muttered the next part, but she could still hear it. “Which isn’t always great when you’re stuck with a bunch of other kids who are looking to be adopted.”

That gave her a few more questions that she wanted to ask, but the most important one was…

“Why don’t you care?” she asked.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “Care about what?”

Sarah sighed. “That I’m a beastborn. A mongrel. A trash mob.”

Jake furrowed his brows. “Those are really rude things to call a cute little wolf-girl.” He shook his head. “Don’t listen to them, okay? They’re probably just jealous because you’re special.”

Sarah was kind of blindsided by that response. Partially because of the zero animosity he held towards beastborn, the other part was the [Hero’s] obliviousness.

Does he not know that beastborn and humans don’t get along?

Her next question was put on hold as the [Hero] asked her one instead. “By the way. How did you end up in an orphanage full of humans?”

Sarah decided to tell him her story. Being left on the porch, being too sickly for other orphanages to be able to take her in, and most importantly, the love and care of papa Jeremiah and mama Isabelle.

Jake listened intently through it all and then grinned when she started talking about her substitute parents.

“I’m really glad that they’re taking such good care of you all,” Jake replied. “I have to admit that I was worried. I haven’t had a chance to visit the orphanages because of all the monsters in the east.”

“Wait,” Sarah replied. “Orphanages? Are you funding more than just ours?”

Jake grinned. “Of course! What else am I going to spend all of my reward money on? Houses and land?” He shook his head. “I got a huge one as a reward once. Been barely able to visit it. Gear?” He pulled a few pieces of armor and several potions out of his inventory. “Everyone’s always pushing stuff on me. I think they want the prestige of having the [Hero] use their stuff.” He put everything away and then shrugged. “So, yeah. I spent my money on what I wanted to. And I wanted to make sure that no one had the shippy home life that I had when I lost my parents.”

Sarah was a bit confused by the word shippy but just assumed it must have been an otherworld thing.

She was also just amazed by how… nice… the great [Hero] was.

She’d always imagined that he would be larger than life. An unapproachable legend who would never notice someone like her.

She never imagined him as someone who would sit down and have a chat with a beastborn orphan.

She also realized that her only impressions of the great [Hero] had been from books, and she was quickly coming to understand that they may not have been as accurate as she hoped.

However, the [Hero] was right there. So… she asked him. She asked him about his adventures. She asked about his recent one where he had returned to slay a dragon, but also about the ones that happened way before she was born.

He happily answered most of her questions, right up until she had a coughing fit.

Whether it was from talking so much or all the excitement, she didn’t know. What she did know was that after she covered her third cough, her hand came away red.

The [Hero] didn’t hesitate. He saw the blood and was already scooping her up. “Healer!” he shouted. He ran straight towards Jeremiah at a speed that made her a bit dizzy while whispering to her. “Hang on, Sarah! Don’t you worry, we’ll get you help!”

Fortunately, Jeremiah had plenty of MP to [Heal] and [Restore] her, and the [Hero] looked relieved.

Unfortunately, Sarah needed to rest after all of that, so she missed out on the rest of his visit.

I didn’t even get to say goodbye. And I had so many more questions. Sarah groaned and lightly pounded her fists on her bed as she lay there resting.

She once again cursed her incurable condition. She knew that was likely the last time that she would be able to see him. The [Hero] was far too busy to go and visit random orphanages that often, and she was sure he would go visit another one next time.

So, Sarah was shocked when Jake, the [Hero] of the world, showed up the next day. However, it seemed papa Jeremiah was more shocked about the other visitor.

He had scarcely opened the door before he nearly fell over himself, bowing and stuttering.

“[Arch Bishop]! Your holiness!” he said. He bowed twice and then a third time. On the third, he hit his head on the door. He stifled a grunt as Sarah was pretty sure that did damage, but then he finally opened the door the rest of the way.

That let her finally see a dwarf standing next to the [Hero], dressed in the simple white robes of the church.

“Please, please, come in!” he said as he gestured them inside. “I must admit we weren’t expecting you, so we don’t have nearly anything prepared.” He looked around in panic. “Oh my, I need to get things prepared!” He shouted deeper into the orphanage. “Isabelle! We have important guests! The [Arch Bishop] is here! Do we have any tea left?”

The dwarf held up his hand to stop any further panicking. “It’s quite fine. Please don’t trouble yourself. You being unprepared is the point of a surprise inspection after all.”

Papa Jeremiah turned white. “Inspection? By [Arch Bishop] Samuel himself? Have we truly done so poorly that you must show up?” He looked over at Sarah, and his eyes widened. “It is because we have a beastborn girl along with humans? I assure you that-“

Samuel sighed. “I highly doubt that my inspection will turn up anything. Especially since the System’s chosen-“ he glanced at Jake, “has vouched that the children in your care seem to be happy and healthy. However…” he paused and looked over at Sarah. “If during my inspection I was to turn up a child who had a greater condition that the [Priest] in charge couldn’t cure, surely it would be my responsibility to handle it.”

Jeremiah’s mouth dropped open, and Sarah’s followed suit.

“You… You’re going to cure me?” Sarah asked. She couldn’t believe it. Was she dreaming?

“Of course,” the dwarf replied kindly but gruffly. “In fact, the only thing I’m likely to find at fault with your orphanage is that you didn’t report this issue.” The dwarf gave Jeremiah a steely look, and Sarah was pretty sure he was close to fainting on the spot.

However, Jake patted Samuel on the shoulder. “Don’t be too hard on him. I’m sure there was a good reason?” He looked over at Jeremiah, who nodded furiously.

“I reported this to the [Bishop], but when he couldn’t cure her, he… proclaimed her incurable. So, I never thought to trouble your holiness, but-“

Samuel waved him off. “I understand, I understand. I will have a talk with [Bishop] Evergreen. This is not something that should have been left alone this long.” He walked over to Sarah. “Are you ready?”

Sarah nodded. “More than anything.”

“[Restore],” he intoned as he placed his hand on her shoulder. His brow wrinkled as he poured more and more mana into the spell.

It was enough that Sarah could actually sense it. It felt… warm. She liked it.

However, Samuel seemed to be struggling. His look turned more and more intense until he finally groaned. He pulled his hand away. “I emptied all of my mana into that… How do you feel?”

“I feel incredible!” Sarah replied. She felt healthy! She felt alive for the first time!

Just as sudden, it was gone.

Her body convulsed as she went into the worst coughing fit of her life.

Jeremiah and Samuel were only able to heal the subsequent bleeding by dipping into mana potions, and even after that, she just felt drained.

Jake and Samuel seemed to feel like they were at fault, and they tried to promise her they would come back with more healers to make sure that they could cure it.

Sarah refused.

“Thank you… but I don’t want you to go to all the trouble,” she said. “And if things go poorly again… I might not survive the next try.”

They reluctantly agreed after hearing that, and she thought that would be the last she saw of them.

However, the attempt left her bedridden for a week. That ended up having an unexpected benefit.

Jake came to visit her every day, and she got to ask him all of her questions.

Some of the things she learned were shocking.

“Wait. You’re telling me the [Demon Lord], the biggest threat to the world, and the one who caused the Eastern Zone War was your friend?” she asked incredulously.

Jake nodded. “Yup. I don’t know why he did everything he did, but I think he was a good guy who was just put into the most horrible situation. Definitely not the being of pure evil that everyone makes him out to be.”

“That’s insane,” she muttered.

She also learned even more things that weren’t in the history books that she read, like the contributions of a certain cat-eared [Sorceress].

On the last day of his visits, she finally asked. “Is it really okay for a [Hero] to be spending so much time with me?”

Jake looked thoughtful at that question before responding with his own. “Tell me. What do you think a hero is?”

“The chosen one of System who goes around saving the world from monsters,” Sarah replied after thinking for a moment.

Jake shook his head. “No, I’m not talking about the class.”

Sarah gave him a puzzled look that apparently conveyed her question.

“To me, a hero’s just a person who uses whatever they have to help the people who are in front of them.” He grinned. “I just so happened to be given a really powerful sword and the skill to use it, so I used those to defend the people who need it the most. However, what about Jeremiah?”

“What about him?” Sarah asked, her confused look not going away.

“He’s a simple man with a big heart, who used that big heart to take care of kids who wouldn’t otherwise have a home. Doesn’t that make him a hero?”

Sarah paused for a moment but could only reply with, “Huh.”

“So, yes, there are many places in the world that need me, but you did too. So, that’s why I stayed a bit longer,” Jake said. “Though, I’m afraid that I do have to go now. It sounds like some undead have started causing a stir in eastern Vir.”

He rose with a groan from the chair beside her bed, and she whispered to him. “Thank you.”

He grinned back. “It was my pleasure, Sarah.”

He was halfway through the door to her room when she blurted out. “Wait. I have one last question.”

He turned around. “Go ahead, shoot.”

“How do I be a hero?”

Jake shook his head. “That’s not for me to answer. It’s all about using what you have and what you can do to help people. So, I’m afraid you’ll have to figure that one out by yourself.”

She could feel her ears droop.

Jake laughed. “Though, I guess I might be able to give you a push in the right direction. You remind me a bit of another kid who was too smart for his own good, so maybe you could try to help people by using magic?” He shrugged. “Just a thought.”

Help people by using magic? She thought of all the times papa Jeremiah had [Healed] or [Restored] her.

She knew what she had to do.

---- Approximately 5 years before the return of the [Demon Lord] –--

“Why do you always read all those stupid books?” Fred asked her for the umpteenth time.

“I told you! I’m going to become a [Priestess]! I want to get a head start!” Sarah replied.

He cocked his head. “Is it really that hard to join the church?”

Sarah deflated a bit. “Well… no. But I want to be the best [Acolyte] I can be! Then I want to become a [Priestess] and run my own church!”

“That sounds boring,” Fred replied. “I’m going to become a [Warrior] and go on adventures! So, you should become a [Cleric] instead!”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “No. I’m already an [Apprentice: Acolyte]. I’m not switching over to a [Cleric]. And I wouldn’t last an hour out there on an adventure.”

“But it would be fun! We could-“

Jeremiah came into the room and interrupted. “That’s enough, Fred. We all have our callings in life, and if Sarah wants to become a [Priestess], you shouldn’t try to stop her.”

It initially sounded like Jeremiah was supporting her no matter what decision she made. However, judging from how much he beamed whenever she told people she wanted to be a [Priestess], she wondered if he wasn’t more excited about her following in his profession.

Sarah started coughing. As she pulled her hand away from her mouth, it came away red.

Jeremiah immediately ran over to her.

However, she held up her hand.

Okay. Just like you read. Try to make that same feeling you’ve felt a thousand times.

She placed her hand on her own shoulder.

“[Restore],” she intoned between coughs. She actually watched her MP drain as the spell did its work.

She sat there beaming as papa Jeremiah looked at her slack-jawed.

“But how- when- where?” he started trying to ask three different questions before going with the first one. “How can you cast that?”

“You’ve cast it on me hundreds of times,” she replied, her smile never wavering. “I figured it was about time I learned to take care of myself.”

That ended up starting a bit of waterworks as Jeremiah started bawling that “his little Sarah” was “all grown up.” However, she had taken the first step towards her goal. She was going to be a hero, just like Jake had taught her she could be.

---- Approximately 2 years before the return of the [Demon Lord] –--

It was late at night, and Sarah was walking back from the church where she worked as a newly minted [Acolyte]. She was exhausted, and her MP bar was sitting on empty.

She wanted nothing more than to go home, fall into bed, and sleep.

“Pay with yer gold, or pay with yer HP,” she heard from the nearby alley. “I don’t cares either way.”

“Please, I can get you the money, just don’t-“ another voice replied. The second voice then grunted in pain.

Eyes wide, Sarah ran into the alleyway.

She came across a group of three human [Thugs] who had another human man pinned up against the wall.

“What are you doing!?” she shouted out before she realized it.

The leader dropped the man and turned to her.

“Oh, if it ain’t a little mutt playin’ at healer,” he sneered. “Go on. Git. If you know what’s good for you.”

“Not until you let him go!” she said.

This was the part of the story where the hero would beat back the attackers and save the man in distress. She was sure she could do it.

She drastically overestimated her abilities.

The men beat her within 2 HP of her life. The only silver lining was that her screams ended up attracting the watch, and the men scattered.

They took her statement, and the [Watch Officer] shook his head.

“Miss, you are far too frail to be playing at [Hero]. Especially with no combat class. Please just call for the watch, or next time you might just end up dead in a ditch for interfering with something that you have no business sticking your nose in.”

Her heart sank at that, but she knew the man was right.

If only I had been stronger. She thought wistfully.

---- The night of the [Demon Lord’s] return -----

Sarah was awakened by an earthquake and messages from System warning of the return of the [Demon Lord].

However, the [Demon Lord] was not her concern right now. Her concern was the shoddy buildings that had been erected in the poorer end of town.

Thankfully, since her promotion to [Priestess], she had been able to stay at the church, and the church was built well enough to withstand it.

Several buildings nearby had not been so lucky.

She hastily threw on her robe and rushed out the door towards the sounds of screams.

She came across one man who was yelling with his body trapped under some rubble.

She tried to lift it off him, but she wasn’t strong enough.

“Help!” she shouted. However, she was sure that scene was playing out in dozens of places right now. There was no help to be had.

To make matters worse, the man fell unconscious.

She knew that people sometimes received conditions instead of damage in certain extreme scenarios, but what could have caused the sudden condition?

She tried to pull him free again, but her hand came away red.

A bleeding condition! He’s still losing HP!

She’d heard that some [Priests] fainted at the sight of blood and that many people lived their entire lives without seeing it.

However, she was used to it. She could do this!

“[Restore]!” she cast. She pumped a quarter of her mana in… a half… almost all of it.

It wasn’t enough.

She wasn’t going to be enough once again. She had pushed her entire life for this, and she still wasn’t enough.

“Please!” she begged System. “I’m tired of being weak! Just give me the power to help people for once!”

System answered her prayers… in a way she could never have imagined.

System: The Demon Lord has slain the Hero! As the Hero has named no successor, a new Hero will be chosen

System: Congratulations! You have been chosen as the new Hero of Placeholder!

System: Your base class has been set to Cleric

System: Heroic Mentality detected. “Restore all that was lost”

System: Heroic skill unlocked. Holy

That was the most messages from System she had ever seen at once.

To make matters even more confusing, there was a flash of light, and a golden scepter had suddenly appeared in her hand.

However, she didn’t have time to waste, and since System had answered her prayers, she would be remiss to waste it.

“[Holy Restore]!” she practically shouted as she placed the scepter on him. She only had a few scant mana left, but it was enough. The bleeding stopped, and the man was left there unconscious.

Her charge was safe, but she was out of mana, and there was nothing more she could do.

She put the golden scepter into her inventory for safe-keeping and breathed a sigh of relief.

It didn’t finally hit home until she read its name.

“Hero’s Scepter,” she read out loud. “Hero’s Scepter. HERO’S SCEPTER!? WHY DID I BECOME THE [HERO]!?” she shrieked.

---- A few months later ----

“They say that the new [Hero] still hasn’t shown himself,” Sarah overheard someone as she was at the market buying groceries early in the morning.

“He better show himself soon. A lot of people are scared about what the [Demon Lord’s] planning after that attack in Faroff.”

“Heh, if he comes to Vir, the watch and the army’ll show him!”

Sarah beat herself up a bit internally.

I’m the [Hero] now. I need to take Jake’s place!

She panicked at that thought. She didn’t want to be an adventurer! And if she wasn’t a [Hero], she was pretty sure she would just count as a level 1 [Cleric]!

Either way, she was planning on just laying low for now and healing people just like she had been.

I got to keep my [Priestess] class, and that’s at level 3. So, I just need to keep healing people. Besides, they need my help! I can’t abandon them! She nodded. I’ve been able to heal even more people since I became the [Hero], even people that other [Priests] couldn’t! And it’s been months since the [Demon Lord] has even been seen. It should be fine, right?

Justifications made, she kept her guilty conscience at bay.

However, she was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice the church’s door was slightly ajar.

“There’s the [Priestess],” came a voice. “The healer. One who heals. Has the best heals. I need them. Give them to me.”

She almost backed out of the door but instead entered and calmly replied. “I’m sorry, sir, but we aren’t open just yet unless it’s an emergency. And we have to treat things in order of priority.”

The man was wearing a black cloak, and he flipped it off so she could finally see his face. She also took in the rest of his body.

Facial disfigurement, greater. Stunted arm, greater. Disfigured leg, major.

She internally started cataloging just the things she could see, and she could tell this would be problematic. Conditions that System would deem fit to call greater were no laughing matter.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to heal all of you at once, but I can heal one thing at a time. Is there something I should start with?” she asked.

“The mind. Something is wrong. Don’t mind. Need to mind.” He started getting more agitated. “Mind the mind. Can’t mind. Need to!”

Sarah frowned. Conditions impacting sanity were notoriously tricky.

“Alright, I’ll heal that first, then. Would you please close your eyes?” Sarah had taken to asking that of all her patients. She really didn’t want them to see the solid-gold Hero’s Scepter if at all possible.

“Eyes are closed. Closed. Definitely closed.”

He kept closing and then opening different eyes, but she figured that would have to work.

She stepped towards him, and he recoiled.

“No. The aura. Stay back from the aura. It makes you mad. I’m mad, so it’s mad.”

This is worse than I imagined, she thought as she walked closer. Then she felt it. The aura of madness.

She suddenly realized 2 things. That was the [Demon Lord] of all people across from her asking for her help. The second? That she was able to fight back against the aura.

She did so almost unintentionally, and the [Demon Lord] practically exploded.

“[Hero], [Hero], [HERO]!” he shouted. Her defenses were swept away, and it was her turn to recoil from him.

“I killed the [Hero],” he said sadly. “But the [Hero’s] back! Will she kill me? Can’t kill me. Don’t want to kill her. Can’t stop it.”

He seemed to have a single moment of clarity.

“Run,” was all he said.

It was too late. A health bar appeared as he exploded into a mass of tentacles and eyes, and Sarah was sent hurtling through the wall.

-------

Sarah awoke to a near-empty HP bar and thanked System that she had just been knocked unconscious. She was sure that had been more than enough to kill her.

She took a brief look around to ensure no one was around and then pulled out the scepter.

“[Holy Heal],” she cast. It took a small chunk of her mana but brought her up to full. She imagined she might need every hit point if she was going to follow the trail of destruction that she now saw.

She took off at a run after the [Demon Lord] and surprisingly managed to catch up.

She quickly saw the reason why. It was busy with the watch and the army. Mostly busy wreaking havoc with them.

A few brave soldiers tried to hold the line against it, but many were fleeing, running around screaming, or huddled in the fetal position waiting for the [Demon Lord] to pass them by.

This was her time. This was when she needed to help people.

But who to help?

She was surrounded by people who needed her help, and she couldn’t save them all. Who should she prioritize? Who should she save?

Her eyes alighted on the [Demon Lord], and she couldn’t help but think back to her talks with Jake all those years ago.

About how the last [Demon Lord] was just a good guy in a bad position. About how being a [Hero] was helping the people in front of you.

And so, while practically shaking with terror, she made up her mind.

She charged at the [Demon Lord].

“[Demon Lord]! O-over here!” she shouted.

It turned to look at her with a multitude of eyes.

She looked back at it, and that was nearly the end.

The psychic attack hit her. She was assaulted with her weakness. With her cowardice. With her inadequacy.

If she had been alone, that would have been enough. However, all around her, she heard the cries of the suffering.

I… will not… let them down!

She gave a wordless cry as she ran at the towering form.

It quickly launched a tentacle out at her and yanked her off her feet. However, that was just what she was waiting for.

If this [Demon Lord] was the aspect of madness… what would happen if that madness was cured?

She pulled out her scepter and touched it to the tentacle.

“[Holy Restore]!”

It ate through her mana quickly, but she could feel it working.

Come on! Just a bit more!

However, even with the [Holy] skill, she didn’t have enough mana.

Please! System, I’m begging you! I need to heal him, no matter the cost!

Once again, System seemed to be answering her prayers.

System: Heroic Mentality detected. “Place all that I am on the line”

System: Heroic skill unlocked. Limit Break

System: Warning! Limits are in place for your protection! Exercise caution!

That was the first time she had ever seen red text, but she didn’t have time to care.

“[Limit Break]!” she shouted.

She dumped her remaining SP into it. It still wasn’t enough.

She allowed the skill to take her 3 levels of [Priestess]. It still wasn’t enough.

She had one thing left.

She hesitated for only a moment while looking at her health bar before nodding.

She dumped all of her hit points into that one singular [Restore] and screamed as pain wracked her body.

She was dropped gracelessly to the ground and couldn’t lift her head to see what had happened.

The boss health bar is gone… Did I do it? She coughed a few times, and her mouth filled with a familiar coppery taste.

At least I saved some people… Before I died. She closed her eyes and felt strangely at peace.

“Stay with me! Oh frick, please stay with me!” she heard a voice as someone started shaking her.

“She’s still breathing. Health potions, health potions! There!” the voice came again. She felt a different liquid enter her throat and tried to swallow. It wasn’t enough. She coughed some more and continued losing HP.

“Oh, frick! Since when can people bleed here!? Uhh, more health potions!”

She felt health potion after health potion go down her throat, and she was finally able to sit up.

“Just leave me,” she said as she finally got a look at the handsome beastborn man with … goat horns?... on the top of his head. “Use those potions on the others.” She coughed some more before continuing. “I’m just going to die to the bleed condition either way.”

“Wait. Can’t you cure it? Oh frick, mana! Here!” he said as he shoved a blue potion into her hands.

She somehow managed to down yet another potion before casting [Holy Restore] on herself.

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, you saved me. What’s your name?”

The man froze, and she finally looked into his piercing red eyes.

“I’m Titus, and I’m so, so, sorry,” he said while on the verge of tears.

Then suddenly he vanished, and she heard the sound of his footsteps running away.